Make that day unique. Make it a day of smile for the less privileged, who would only say thank you, but wouldn’t pay back. Make the needy smile again. Give hope to the helpless and lift the spirit of the downtrodden.
Touch them, stroke their hands, give them warmth and sense of belonging. You may be giving life to a walking corpse.
Walk through the cities, by the road sides. Walk through all the corners, seek them out, the beggars, the homeless and make them smile again. Be a Jesus to them, the reason for them to continue to live in this world full of thorns and slippery spots.
Father’s day is an event to be remembered by deeds done in charity, in love and in empathy. It is not a celebration in extravagance of things ephemeral. It isn’t a show and wouldn’t be. It is a moment to look at ones journey, take stock, re-evaluate, make decisions and resolve to be better.
Father’s day isn’t and shouldn’t be a jamboree of a sort. Drinking, eating, dancing and cracking jokes. All these can form the side attractions but not the main focus.
Life is deep, very strange and confusing most times. It passes so fast with a speed of a lightning, before one realizes it, it is gone, with a lot of regrets.
Father’s Day gives one that opportunity among other opportunities to sit and re-evaluate ones life,do a swot analysis of life and the best possible ways to live it.
Time ticks, each second counts. It ticks! It neither waits for anybody nor gets wasted. Nobody has control over it, so independent, self willed, it takes a serious minded person to use it without wasting oneself in frivolities.
A lot of fathers have wasted themselves. They have wasted moments they should have become sober and reflective,thinking through their life journey and taking steps towards becoming a better version of themselves.
We evolve daily. We grow daily towards our end, our strength goes down not up, each time spent wrongly goes and wouldn’t come back again, the woes and agony of many.
When fathers celebrate, they celebrate life, uplifting and making souls happy and hopeful. Engaging less in things that would fizzle instantly into the vapour of life.
The sound of 2024 fathers’ day drum is increasing. Each day makes the sound more loud, provoking expectations of those around, waiting for treats and funfair.
Beyond the shawarma, outside the rice, chicken and wine, in addition to movie seeing and other side attractions as ones resources would reach, doing something for God through the church or humanity remains the best bait.
As individuals, give to charity. As an Association, let that day be so resounding with supports to the church and humanity. Make indelible impact, leave legacies and make the event one to remember with memorials.
Dwell no further in things so transient, as the event is passing by, the memories them dim and fade.
My parish CMO has been very outstanding in this, reaching out to the less privileged and supportive of church’ projects. However, there are rooms for more. We are in a society that is ravaged with lack and needs, leaving many scraping life, gnashing and agonising daily, waiting for a new dawn for a better living.
We can make that happen. There are many of them by the river bank, waiting to be thrown back into the sea for a renewed hope. One person at a time,lifting them up from abject lack to a place of sustainance, could be someone’s project in this year’ fathers’ day.
People are really suffering, the economy is bitting seriously, depression on the increase and the rate of death toll raising. As an Association, creating either a stop gap or pulling them entirely out of their woes would be the best way to celebrate Father’s day.
Living is nothing If no life is touched. Living is useless if no life is transformed. Living makes no sense if all that matters is self and self alone. Living is not productive if it doesn’t put smiles on those whose joy and hope are gone.
I was sick you didn’t visit me! I was imprisoned you abandoned me. I was naked you didn’t cloth me. I was hungry you didn’t feed me. I was homeless you provided no shelter.
Let fathers look at the above and provide smiles and succor for those in such challenged moments. They may be legion, but lifting one person at a time would be a step in the right direction.
We live in circle of chains, our strength lies in the links that are the weakest. For us to be strong, our weak points must be made to be strong. Lifting others! we raise! We raise! by lifting others! Should be our slogan as fathers, for the dignity of humanity is our creed and brand.
Happy father’s day in advance
Jarlath Uche Opara can be reached via Jarlathuche@gmail.com
